Researchers in Food & Agriculture Lack Funding to Respond to Disease Outbreaks

"fm2" by U.S. Department of Agriculture licensed under CC BY 2.0
fm2” by U.S. Department of Agriculture licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: National Geographic

The nonprofit Supporters of Agricultural Research Foundation (SoAR) is asking Congress to increase funds for research in food and agriculture that could prevent outbreaks and disease.

Thirteen universities came together to create the nonprofit in response to poor funding for research in agriculture; only two percent of the federal budget is allocated toward food and agriculture at the moment.

Previous and recent major outbreaks of disease have proved that a lack of funding for research teams slows down the process of delivering help to those who are affected. While the Obama Administration had requested $1.9 billion in funding to create and sustain and public health ‘Disaster Fund,’ Congress did not approve the measure.

Researchers are urging for increased funding to protect both crops and livestock from disease and climate change, and to have a quicker response time to disasters and outbreaks.

Read full story at: National Geographic

Environment, News
Environment, News